Mattell continues to dig through their massive toy box as a film based on their Matchbox cars is currently in development with Skydance Media. The movie will be written by David Coggeshall, who has written the upcoming films Orphan: First Kill, Thundercats, and Lee Daniels’ untitled thriller for Netflix.
Englishman Jack Odell initially invented the toy car to fit within a matchbox so his daughter could bring the toy to school. It wasn’t long before her friends would want cars of their own, birthing the Matchbox brand. Mattell then acquired Matchbox in 1997.
The Matchbox film will be Mattel’s 15th film in production, including projects featuring the American Girl line of dolls, the recently-announced Barney movie, and the star studded Greta Gerwig film, Barbie. Robbie Brenner, the executive producer of Mattel Films, said this about this recent announcement:
“For nearly 70 years, Matchbox has carried enormous cultural relevance and inspired generations of kids to unleash their imaginations, combining what they see in the world every day with what they dream their own world to be. We look forward to working with our incredible partners at Skydance Media to craft a story for the big screen that evokes the same, imaginative spirit of this beloved Mattel franchise and delights fans of all ages.”
The President of Feature Films for Skydance Media, Don Granger, expressed his excitement for this upcoming partnership.
“Pairing Skydance’s unique brand of premium, elevated action-adventure entertainment with the incredible legacy of the Matchbox brand is a fantastic opportunity. There is a shared experience for everyone who has played with a Matchbox vehicle or playset, where they create their own inventive action sequence and we’re excited to craft a worldwide adventure film worthy of such imagination.”
There’s no word as of yet on when Matchbox the movie is set to be released.
